This week Comic Culture hosts Chris Owen and Walter Durajlija old comic books selling for tons of money, the new Ghost Rider movie, the new Sin City movie, comic book “pressing”, as well as a complete recap of the just finished Fan Expo held in Toronto so kick back, relax and enjoy Comic Culture, the radio show full of possibilities.
Comic Culture is produced by Anthony Falcone and is engineered by James McIntosh.
Enjoy Comic Culture August 31st 2011 Edition.
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Hey Walt… did you get a good look at Matt’s press? Was it the dry mount model that photographers use or the heat transfer type? Any chance you got a look at the temperature setting? The only think I haven’t been able to figure out is how they apply the moisture without damaging the book although I’ve got a few ideas. If you consider the “flow” of business, it’s actually a questionable practice due to the lack of transparency, not to mention it skews the census. What do you say to setting up a press at your store and start flipping those books like hamburgers?
I’ll need a press operator Charlie, are you busy?
Next year at the Chicago Con I’m going to set up a bike courier service from Matt’s booth to the CGC booth and I’ll advertise quick delivery. Quick delivery will ensure that the rolled up spine will not start rolling back up before the CGC guys look at it!! I’ll need slogans, “add a grade with fast delivery!”?
Coincidentally, I finally got my reply from Matt today. Of course the reply is as vague as all my other correspondence from industry experts. On one hand these same people are touting disclosure while criticizing collectors who are trying to make a buck… and yet, they ‘re all deliberately holding back information claiming “trade secret”… Why? So they can make the buck for themselves. I don’t mind free trade as long as it’s done fairly but I cringe when the “pot calls the kettle black”.
CGC is so political… it’s like WaterGate. It’s ComicGate! CGC get lots of books from guys like Matt, so in order for them to get business, they need to provide good results. Can you see the conflict of interest? If this isn’t market manipulation, I don’t know what is…
Walt, we can pick up a decent press for under $1k. We press 1 key book from a 9.2 to 9.4 and we’ve already made our money back. Throw in your stack of X-Force #2’s… now we’re talking early retirement!
I’m going to sit on my X-Force #2s Charlie. The timing is not right. I may pre-screen a few at 9.9 though.
CGC has the most to lose and I don’t see them throwing a few upgrades to Matt or Vince or Pete or whoever. They have too many bad examples to pick from, I can’t see them undermining their business by mis-grading intentionally. I will concede that they are the only player in town and thus could theoretically get away with it.
Market forces are driving people to submit books. You and I find a nice stack of old comics and we grade them even while we bitch at CGC.
Personally I think the way they grade is faulty, I’ve just posted my thoughts here http://www.comicbookdaily.com/collecting-community/market-trends/fixing-cgc-grading/